2020 Papras ‘Pleiades’ (orange)

Subregion/Region: Tyrnavos < Thessaly < Greece

Grapes: Roditis

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic certified farming; well-draining limestone soil; 25 days of skin contact in stainless steel, spontaneous fermentation with a few days in old oak barrel before bottling; bottled unfined/unfiltered, with 10mg/l of SO2;  x% ABV 

Winemaker: Stergios Papras

Stergios Papras, a big believer in organic viticulture, makes fresh wines from the indigenous grapes of the area of Tyrnavos, at the base of Mount Olympus. Stergios has dedicated his wine career to uplifting the native grapes of his region. He is a respected oenologist in the area and has been the sitting president of the community co-op since the 1970s. Stergios’ vines have been, impressively, organic certified since 1990, the first year it was even possible in Greece. The whole family is involved in the production these days. His brother and son are the principal vineyard managers.

Pleiades, in Greek mythology, are the nymphs from the stars!  This orange wine hails from slopes closest to the cosmos, at the feet of Mount Olympus.  And it tastes like nectar of the gods, with luscious honey and mineral notes on a dry, salty palate with a beeswax coating.